Michigan
9-0
Virginia
6-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 26 | 21 | 27 | 0 |
| Michigan | 30 | 30 | 30 | 3 |
Spikers Set Program Record with 9-0 Start to Season
9/8/2006 12:01:00 AM | Volleyball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: Michigan def. Virginia 3-0 (30-26, 30-21, 30-27)
Records: U-M (9-0), Virginia (6-2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Sept. 9 -- vs. Pacific at Michigan/Pepsi Challenge (Crisler Arena), 3:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior outside hitter Katie Bruzdzinski (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) hammered a match-high and season-best 22 kills -- double the output of any other player on the night -- to help the University of Michigan volleyball team down Virginia, 3-0 (30-26, 30-21, 30-26) on Friday night (Sept. 8) in Cliff Keen Arena.
The victory was the Wolverines' second of the Michigan/Pepsi Challenge and ran the squad's record to a flawless 9-0, the best start to a season in program history. Virginia lost for just the second time this season to drop to 6-2 and 1-1 in the tournament.
Bruzdzinski showed her stuff in game one, accounting for 11 of U-M's 21 kills in the frame and helping the Wolverines take control of game one in front of the home crowd. She added six kills on seven swings in an economical effort in the second game and nailed five kills to close out the third.
Bruzdzinski also notched her second double-double of the season as one of five Wolverines to tally double-digit digs. U-M ran, jumped and dove all over the court to frustrate the Cavaliers, led by sophomore libero Kerry Hance's (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) team-high 17 digs, followed closely by freshman outside hitter Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral), who finished with 15 digs on her birthday. Bruzdzinski and junior setter Stesha Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) had 12 digs apiece, while fifth-year senior right-side Erin Penn (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) notched 11.
The Wolverines came out rusty to open game one, falling behind 15-14 before junior outside hitter Lyndsay Miller's (Ida, Mich./Ida) kill tied the game at 15-15 and brought Bruzdzinski back to the front row. Bruzdzinski proceeded to record three of U-M's next four kills to push Virginia into a timeout with the score 21-17 in Michigan's advantage. Bruzdzinski fired another kill after the teams returned to the floor to make it 22-17, then added three more down the stretch as Michigan widened its lead by as many as five points, cruising to a game-one win.
The Wolverines were a lot more selective with their attacks in the second frame, hitting .472 with 20 kills and just three attack errors to take a two-game lead. Virginia showed life late in game three, climbing out of a seven-point hole to pull within one, down 27-26, before Miller dropped back-to-back kills on the left side to hand the Wolverines the sweep.
Michigan plays its first-ever match in Crisler Arena on Saturday (Sept. 9) in the team's Michigan/Pepsi Challenge "Crash Crisler" finale, taking on Pacific after the football game. Admission to the match is free, and first serve is tentatively scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
NOTES
• Tonight's win sets a program record for the best start in U-M volleyball history. The Wolverines are currently 9-0, bettering the previous record of two 8-0 starts in 2004 and 1983.
• Junior outside hitter Katie Bruzdzinski finished with a season-best 22 kills against Virginia, giving her the most single-match kills by any Wolverine this season, surpassing junior outside hitter Lyndsay Miller's previous high of 19 kills.
• Freshman Megan Bower had 15 digs and a service ace on her birthday against Virginia. For the day, she finished with 22 digs in two matches, tallying seven against Marquette in the morning.
• Katie Bruzdzinski recorded the 900th kill of her career in the match vs.Virginia. Bruzdzinski is looking to become just the ninth Wolverine to hit the 1,000-kill mark in her career.
• Junior setter Stesha Selsky is 14 digs shy of moving into a tie for second place on U-M's all-time digs list.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the team's play against Virginia ... "I liked how aggressive we were tonight. We had an aggressive defense and played a lot better tonight than this morning. We played hard and competed. We backed off a little in game three and stopped attacking and let them get five or six points and feel comfortable again. They made some great plays and we got passive. We finally stopped waiting for them to lose and we went out to win. We were the aggressors and did that most of the game."
On the team's 9-0 start ... "We are looking to our next game. Pacific is a physical team and they can bring it. We'll be in a new environment and a big venue. We'll see how we manage. Cliff Keen is our home and visually Crisler Arena is very different than anywhere we play. You can see everything in here. We haven't practiced in Crisler yet, so we'll get a half hour during the football game to get used to it. We have no intention of playing regularly in Crisler. Our goal is to make Keen like Yost (Ice Arena) -- a hard ticket to get -- and hopefully this trip into Crisler will help convert some people."
U-M Junior Outside Hitter Katie Bruzdzinski
On the team's play against Virginia ... "We were a lot sharper tonight than this morning. We played tough and competed. Our chemistry is good, and winning just makes it more fun. We were always attacking tonight and we got in the zone a few times. It was a blast to see The Zone (student section) again."
On the team's 9-0 start ... "We just take it game by game. The most important thing is always the next game."
